All commercial and residential lawns and plants require watering to survive and grow. Although watering along will be sufficient for certain types of lawns and plants, it has been found that there are many types of lawns and plants that require the additional benefit of a fertilizer. This is especially true for many crops, which have a relatively fast growth period prior to picking or harvesting.
The use of fertilizer has been in existence for a long time. Originally, fertilizer, as with watering, had to be performed by hand. As technology improved, the means by which fertilizer could be applied became more efficient. Today, the most common method of applying fertilizer is to integrate the fertilizer into a water sprinkler system.
The prior art discloses several apparatuses and methods by which a fertilizer can be introduced into the flow of a steam of water that originates form a water source and exits through a sprinkler head into the lawns and plants. These prior art apparatuses and methods which are described infra are relatively complicated, difficult to install and to maintain.
The instant application discloses an automatic fertilizing apparatus that is simple in design and that is easily integrated into an existing watering system.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
U.S. Pat. No.INVENTORISSUED6,173,732Davis et al16 Jan. 20015,823,430Clark, Jr. et al20 Oct. 19985,730,364Gertie24 Mar. 1998
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,732 discloses a chemical feeding system for adding liquid, water soluble solid chemicals to a lawn sprinkler system. The system has one or two vertically oriented mixing chambers containing a removable sponge filter. An effluent tube is attached to the bottom of the mixing chamber for recycling through an adjustable flow metering valve. A drain tube with a shutoff valve and a one-way check valve leads to the main sprinkler system.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,430 discloses an automatic fertilizer system having a liquid fertilizer dispenser. The dispenser introduces a continuous addition of a selected amount of fertilizer, insecticide and herbicide chemicals to sprinklers that use an outside waterline. The dispenser has an adjustable metering cap with different diameter through-holes for allowing the contents of the dispenser to be injected into the flowing stream of water, which leads to the sprinklers.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,364 discloses an automatic fertilizing device installed inline with a below ground water line for an underground sprinkler system. The device consists of a fertilizer tablet chamber that is connected to the inlet and outlet side of the water line. A fertilizer replenishment passage extends upward from the chamber, with an upper end positioned at or below ground level. One or more inlet and outlet screens may be provided at each end of the chamber to prevent the entrance of small particles of the solid fertilizer tablet into either the inlet or outlet line as the tablet is dissolved by the water flow.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to following remaining patents found in the search:
U.S. Pat. No.INVENTORISSUED5,366,159Childers22 Nov. 19945,303,503Patterson19 Apr. 19944,825,959Wilhelm 2 May 19894,056,898Brucato et al 8 Nov. 19773,876,146Pacheco 8 Apr. 1975